Throughout history the argument of power falling hand in hand with corruption has been brought to our attention in devastating scenes of destruction, turmoil and moments which will never be forgotten. But do these moments conclude that power eventually leads to corruption? Are there events over the past 100 years or more which argue this fact? In this essay I will discuss my own opinion on this topic looking at crucial figure heads in history, Hitler, Gandhi and more recent activities within politics. I will also explore the opinions of noted writers on this subject focusing on “Animal Farm” by George Orwell among other things which highlight my debate.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men” is a famous statement from historian and moralist John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton. Power is simply defined as “the ability to make choices or influence......

"I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it

The more sincere among us believe that the presidential race was about truth, principle and patriotism. I hate to be the one to the bad news but it wasn’t. It was about power.

If these high ideals mattered, John McCain would have defeated George Bush in the 2000 primaries. If giving your all for your country were the standard, Max Cleland would still be the...

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...Powercorrupts, and absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely
There are many examples, throughout history, of leaders who have been corrupted with power. For example, people like Hitler and Napoleon have all committed shameful actions in the hopes of gaining absolutepower. Authority, or simply the desire of control, can cause people to act in incomprehensible ways. Throughout the play Macbeth, written by playwright Shakespeare, the desire for absolutepower is the main driving force for the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a great craving for ultimate rule, and are willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and behaviors of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and as a result of their greed, selfishness and strong desire for supremacy, they were unable to escape the tragic fate at the end of the play that was a result of their own doing.
The first sign of corruption within Lady Macbeth was observed when her husband had communicated to her the prophecy made by the three witches about his rise to the throne. Her reaction to this prophecy was an immediate and growing desire for power. She right away wished this prophecy to come true. Her longing for command and wishes to be a queen drove her thoughts and feelings to be very...

...“Powercorrupts and absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely.” Over the centuries, this famous saying voiced by Lord Action has been analyzed and dissected numerous times by historians and philosophers. Some individuals say that power does not corrupt, it only attracts the corruptible. However, to judge fairly, past and current events accurately depict the ideology thatpowercorruptsabsolutely, and has convinced me, that its meaning holds true. Ivan the Terrible of Russia, Louis XIV of France, Henry the Second of the Roman Empire, Katherine the Great, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler – these names all frame some of the most dictating and ruthless leaders in history whom have reigned with tyranny. These individuals all have one simple attribute in common – all were leaders who tried to maintain complete and absolutepower over all subject matters and attempted to coerce others to be subordinate to their commands. Thus, the question that I wish to address in this essay should be how leaders corruptabsolutely and why. Those who choose power over meaning wreak havoc for those around them, and ultimately, lead to their own tragic debacle.
Leadership is at its core, all about power and influence; however, there is a distinction...

...PowerCorrupts and AbsolutePowerCorruptsAbsolutely
Throughout history the argument of power falling hand in hand with corruption has been brought to our attention in devastating scenes of destruction, turmoil and moments which will never be forgotten. But do these moments conclude that power eventually leads to corruption? Are there events over the past 100 years or more which argue this fact? In this essay I will discuss my own opinion on this topic looking at crucial figure heads in history, Hitler, Gandhi and more recent activities within politics. I will also explore the opinions of noted writers on this subject focusing on “Animal Farm” by George Orwell among other things which highlight my debate.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely. Great men are almost always bad men” is a famous statement from historian and moralist John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton. Power is simply defined as “the ability to make choices or influence outcomes, which is also power held by a person or group of people in a society”. Nowhere in the definition of power does corruption come into question. So where has this idea come from? Who or what events have arisen which make us associate corruption with power? I...

...AbsolutePowerCorruptsAbsolutely Essay
Absolutepowercorrupts the leaders with the most power because they end up abusing their power and hurting the themselves and the people that are closet to them. They use their power for their own personal gain and do not listen to anyone else.
In the novel, Animal Farm, absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely because Napoleon is in charge of the farm but then he gains to much power and end up losing the farm. Napoleon is a pig and the leader of Animal Farm after Old major dies. Every time any of the animals doubt his choices they think to themselves, “Napoleon is always right.” At the end of the book they end up realizing that what Napoleon has been doing is wrong. After Old Major dies all of the animals vote Napoleon to be the leader of the farm because they think he will make the right decisions for them. He gains to much power on the farm and tries to use it for his own personal gain. He starts to adjust the seven commandments in order to benefit the pigs and himself. For example on commandment number four; “No animal shall sleep in a bed.” Napoleon added, “with sheets,” to the end of it to benefit the pigs. This is so the pigs could sleep inside the house and use the bed. Napoleon just took the sheets of...

..."Powercorrupts, and absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely," said Lord Acton generations ago. In the Greek tragedy Antigone, written by Sophocles, there was a character named Kreon, the antagonist, who was the king of Thebes. Thebes was an autocratic state where Kreon had absolutepower. Throughout the course of the play, Kreon abused his privilege of absolutepower; and this caused him to suffer greatly, even though he was warned by a few people of his bad deeds. What Sophocles commented on absolutepower was that one should not abuse it. If it was abused, he or she had to expect bad consequences. This was indicated by what happened to Kreon when he abused his power.
Kreon settled a decree that prohibited anyone from burying Polyneices' dead body. He was proud of his decree, and he also stated that he would be a good king by listening to what people said regarding his decisions. When the decree was broken by Antigone, Kreon sentenced her to death. This angered the gods because they wanted the dead body of Polyneices buried, and they did not want a live body (that of Antigone) buried in a cave. Kreon was told by Haimon to change his mind, but Kreon rejected his request and went ahead and buried Antigone alive. Teiresias warned Kreon that the gods were angry and his actions were to be blamed....

...“Power tends to corrupt and absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely.” Those with the power become corrupted, but so does the people under their authority. The Animal Farm novel portrays exactly how this takes place.
Leaders may start off with the best of intentions but they often become power hungry and corrupt, resorting to all kinds of evilness in order to maintain their new status.
For example, the idea of Animalism, first created by Old Major, in itself is a bright vision. It is only after Old Major’s death that it became a struggle for power. Snowball’s goodhearted attempts to help the animals – especially academically – were not appreciated by the power-hungry Napoleon.
Napoleon's power corrupted the whole idea of Animalism &amp; The Seven Commandments, which the farm first started with. The power that the three pigs obtained had corrupted them, and then Napoleon received absolutepower, which corrupted the society as a whole.
While authorities are fighting over power, it is the ordinary people that are suffering. The ordinary people become gullible, believing everything they are told. By not questioning authority, ignorant people can easily be fooled by others to take advantage of them.
For example, Napoleon uses his “mouth-piece” Squealer,...

...“PowerCorrupts; AbsolutePowerCorruptsAbsolutely”
Characters:1. Narrator 2. Bharat Mata 3. Scene 1: Man, Officer and an Assistant 4. Scene 2: Social Worker, Officer and an Assistant 5. Scene 3: Rich Man and IT Officer 6. Scene 4: Politician and Poor man 7. Scene 5: A Boy and Bharat Mata ROLE PLAY Narrator: It’s August 14th, the day before the Independence Day and the day looked beautiful and promising. One lady is seen amongst the crowd. Though she looked like any normal woman, her noble and dignified demeanour set her apart from everyone else in the place. Yet, people went by without even throwing a glance at the stately lady. For some reason, she is invisible to their eyes. She is the Bharat Mata. Yes, the Mother of India. As she crossed a building, she heard some voices and stopped to listen. Man: Sir, I need a CC for my daughter. Here is my ration card and the details of the child’s background. (The Officer verifies all the necessary papers) Officer: Everything’s in order, but for one… Man: I don’t understand sir… (The Officer rings the bell. His assistant enters) Officer: Take him out and explain the procedures here. Assistant: Yes, sir. [After coming out] Give me 500 rupees and then, you know the procedure. Man: But sir…I am from a poor family and I have money only to pay my child’s school fees and today’s the last day too. Please sir… Assistant: Even I have a child who is been...

...Powercorrupts, absolutepowercorruptsabsolutely...
The adage is quite old but its relevance is ageless. The past week has clearly reflected how the politicians have become absolutelycorrupt by virtue of the absolutepower bestowed on them through constitution. Every effort to remove this absolutism has been thwarted with complete disdain. Lokpal has not been allowed for so many decades and all the political group has covertly disliked it and colluded to not allow it happen in spite of a free nation together asking for it. Every word is silenced and khemkas and Durgas of this world get their wings clipped if they try to play with the absolutepower. The reason is our political system has become close to monarchy in feigned way. The only difference from monarchy is that this system has group of monarchs. If one looks at the demography of politicians, all the new clans are the younger faces of the older generation. There are hardly a new family or individual joining the politics, rather new breeds are not allowed to prosper. Kejriwals are made to meet their own death by the use of this absolutepower. The same media which was doing everything to highlight them and earn TRPs is now blocking every bit of news , why? they also have to survive in this absolutism. After all , this...